Pop music has gone through cultural shifts throughout the decades spreading different ideas and attracting different kinds of demographics. From funky 80s beats, boy bands and modern-day statements, pop music has always shifted with time yet has always remained relatively popular.
Pop music has had a recent peak in popularity again as new, and mostly female, artists such as Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo have “made it” in the music industry. However, due to pop’s shape-shifting power, it hasn’t always been this way.
These artists whose fame grew rapidly over a short period of time have recently won Grammys and have been defining faces of pop over the last couple of years. One could say pop is coming back, but some fans have been consistently relishing the beats of pop for decades now.
El Paso Community College student Mina Jimenez, 21, recalls being a young girl and living for the 2010 era of pop. She filled her room up with posters of boy bands such as One Direction, and her playlists fill her ears with the era’s music even to this day.
Just like some other fans, Jimenez feels that the era defined a large part of her life.
“It was definitely the best part of being a teenager or a young girl,” Jimenez said. “People thought it was crazy, but it consumed my life, and it made me so happy.”
However, Jimenez feels that although the new era of pop doesn’t cater to the younger audience as much as the early 2010s did, it is still an era people will continue to follow and love. Lyrics have gotten more mature again just like Y2K and some 80s pop, creating another flux in the music industry, but pop music never went away for people like Jimenez; the artists just grew up with their audience, and the sound evolved with what is trending.
“The audience are not kids anymore. [The artists] are making what they want to make and doing it for themselves, not what other people want to see,” Jimenez said.
Media creator and retired performing artist Michael Cloud is a big fan of pop music. He admires its accessibility and the way it has transcended borders and cultures. To Cloud, the music creates a timeless and human experience.
“What draws me to pop music is the way it takes familiar stories and themes but presents them in fresh and innovative ways. It’s a genre that’s constantly evolving yet remains true to its core mission of making music that resonates with people from all walks of life,” Cloud said.
Audiences change and there are aspects of all genres that pull and push people, but Cloud admires the consistency of pop music.
“Pop music seems to follow a timeless formula, regardless of the era,” Cloud said. “While the sound and style may evolve, the underlying structure and appeal remain consistent. I think it’s what makes pop music so enduring and universally relatable.”
Pop music is back for those whose ears perk up at what modern-day music has to offer, but it’s also been a sweet sound to many who appreciate both the relative consistencies of pop and the quirks that define its eras.
Jesie Garcia is the arts and culture editor and may be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram @jeslorenwrites.
